A Rs 65-lakh penalty imposed by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) on the Municipal Council in Kharar, Mohali has laid bare the grim reality that financial penalties without enforcement have failed to curb environmental violations or protect public health.
Even six years after serious lapses were officially flagged, the 45-year-old dumping ground near Khanpur Kharar continues to endanger nearly 6,000 residents of Darpan City and its adjoining colonies.
The fine was imposed for repeated violations of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, covering the period from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2025. Despite this, conditions at the site remain alarming. Fires continue to break out, toxic smoke blankets residential areas, and contaminated leachate leaks through broken boundary walls into streets and homes.
For the past several days, a major fire at the dumping ground has released thick and poisonous smoke across the locality.
“This is not smoke, it is poison,” local resident Rakesh Bhardwaj said. “Children, the elderly, and people suffering from asthma and bronchitis are struggling to breathe. What does a Rs 65-lakh fine mean if people’s lungs are being damaged every day?”
An RTI filed by Bhardwaj revealed that the PPCB had issued clear directions to the Municipal Council as early as August 7, 2019, instructing it to take immediate corrective measures. These directives were ignored. PPCB’s RTI dated December 24, confirms that the penalty was imposed due to persistent non-compliance at a dumping site located dangerously close to residential houses.
Internal inspection reports of the PPCB in 2019 claimed that the dumping ground violates mandatory siting norms, is located within a residential zone, operates without statutory authorisation, and lacks piezometers required to monitor groundwater contamination.
During hearings, the civic body assured the regulator of measures such as herbal spraying, green belts, and construction of boundary walls. However, ground inspections exposed a starkly different reality — collapsed walls, overpowering stench, unscientific dumping, and garbage spilling into residential lanes.
Residents have also questioned how housing projects were approved next to a dumping site that has existed for over 45 years.
“If this dump was already here, how were colonies like Darpan City allowed to come up right beside it” Bhardwaj asked, pointing towards deep-rooted administrative negligence.
Multiple relocation plans — to Badali, Aujla, and later Jandpur — failed due to public opposition and legal hurdles, leaving authorities without a viable alternative.
Today, health complaints such as breathlessness, chest tightness, and eye and throat irritation are rising sharply. Residents have demanded an immediate inspection, emergency pollution-control measures, repairs to containment structures, and a clear, time-bound remediation plan.
When contacted, Sukhdev Singh, executive officer of the Municipal Council, Kharar, said that the Rs 65-lakh penalty was imposed earlier and does not pertain to the current period. He stated that a large portion of the accumulated municipal waste has already been processed.
He further said that a high-capacity electricity connection has now been installed, and within the next one to two days, heavy machinery will become operational at the site. According to him, the new setup will have the capacity to process around 1,000 metric tonnes of waste per day, and the entire waste stock will be processed and cleared within three months.
The officer added that once the waste is fully processed, solid waste management at the site will be carried out in a systematic and scientific manner. He also claimed that other directions issued by the state government are being implemented.
Regarding the damaged boundary wall, the officer said that the tender for its reconstruction has already been floated, and the wall will be rebuilt as soon as the tender process is completed. He expressed confidence that once these measures are in place, the problems being faced by residents in the surrounding areas will be resolved.